I Am a "Big Foot" Artist!

The Incredible Hulk Transformation_Penciled

I must say that when I set out to work on the Incredible Hulk I was a bit nervous about it because I would be considered a "Big Foot" artist while the Hulk/Dr. Banner are in the "Little Foot" category. For those of you who are unfamiliar with those terms, as I used to be until I did my research on Neal Adams, let me explain. Artists who draw really cartoony are considered "Big Foot" artists, and I suppose it comes from the idea that cartoon characters have big feet although I can name off a few characters whose feet aren't that big, but that's the general idea. If you wanted to draw a realistic mouse, you wouldn't use Mickey Mouse as your reference. Artists who draw realistically are considered "Little Foot" artists. One could argue that the Hulk is a "Big Foot" character because there is no man on earth who looks like him, but the mere definition of "Little Foot" means drawing anatomically realistic, which the Hulk is. I learned to draw by watching cartoons like Batman, the Animated Series, and animators have to drop the details found in realism to make it easier to animate, something that comics don't have to worry about. It has been tough for me to get out of that mindset. I want to be a "Little Foot" artist, but my work still leans heavily towards the "Big Foot" style no matter how much I try to change it. 

So when approaching this drawing of the Hulk I was nervous for that reason, but like, It All Started with a Mouse, I didn't want to do injustice to a character that people love, I don't particularly like him, but some people do. However, I completely surprised myself on this one. I think that it came out perfectly. It doesn't top It All Started with a Mouse, but I pretty much knew that that would be a tough piece to top.

When I approach a fanart drawing I want the most up to date photo reference that I can find on the character, and the Hulk's references were perfect although I had to use two because one reference only had him from his head down to his torso, forcing me to find a reference for his legs. Dr. Banner, on the other hand, was a different story. I did not like the references that I found on him, as most of the references shot him from a far, making it useless to use. I briefly thought about drawing Bill Bixby, but I am not that great at drawing real people, and so I discarded that idea. Instead I decided to use the reference of Banner from the only Hulk comic book that I have, which was a reissue of the first Hulk comic when the creature used to be grey instead of green. So this drawing has a little bit of now and a little bit of yesterday, which I think makes the drawing even better. Next up, inking the composition.

Final Thoughts

Originally my next project was going to be a fanart drawing with a DC Comics character, the Riddler, but I've decided to postpone that drawing. Instead I am going to work on The Doo Family Portrait, which will feature Scooby-Doo's entire family including the two members who are dead. I've already begun finding the photo references for each character, and a lot of the references are going to make things difficult for me since a lot of the references only show the head, forcing me to figure out the rest of the body. Aw, well, those are the breaks.

This Friday, I am going to be the lone representative of the SCAD-Atlanta Animation Society at a SCAD-Atlanta event for prospective students and their families. I am making magnets for the event to give away to each person who visits my table. There is no way that the incoming class can say that they never knew that the Animation Society existed. Not if I can help it. This will perhaps be the last job that I do for the Animation Society within everybody's eyesight because unless my Wednesday class time changes from 8 PM to 5 PM or earlier I won't be back to the Animation Society although I still plan to do my part to help them, mainly with my posters.

That's pretty much it for this week. I don't know when I'll be back to post the inked version of the Hulk, but until then, this is Billy Wright wishing you all a good night. So long, everybody!